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They stared at each other; then they both said, “I’m not leaving you.”
“Well.” Matt scrubbed a hand through his hair. “I’m glad that’s settled.”
“I can’t leave my ranch, Teo. I won’t.”
“The cavern’s still there waiting to be explored, and the wall with the glyphs could prove my mother’s theory.” Although if they’d been drawn by a Ute shaman Matt wasn’t quite sure how. He still planned to study every last stick figure.
Eventually.
“You aren’t going to be able to explore until we get rid of this thing, so you may as well—”
“No,” he interrupted. “I want to be here when Edward comes.”
“Edward?” She tilted her head. “That’s who Isaac called?”
“You know him?”
“He’s a friend of Isaac’s from the war. Him and his granddaughter…” She paused, thinking. “Dr. Hanover. Elise. They came here to study the unwolves.”
Matt lifted a brow. “I think they came to make sure the unwolves weren’t werewolves.” Quickly Matt told Gina what Edward had told him.
“The old German guy is a monster hunter,” she said when Matt finished. “You’re sure he’s not nuts?”
“Yesterday I would have wondered that myself. Today…” Matt shrugged. “Let’s hope he’s not, because he’s all we’ve got.”
“Swell,” Gina muttered, and let her forehead bang against the desk with a thud.
* * *
A half hour later everyone except Amberleigh, whom Melda had managed to get to sleep and they’d decided to leave asleep as long as they could, less noise that way, had eaten and assembled in the yard.
Jase walked out of the barn whistling. Gina experienced a wiggle of déjà vu. He used to do that every morning.
Until Teo showed up.
She glanced at Teo and shook her head, indicating he should stay where he was, then hurried to Jase. “Where have you been?”
She was half-afraid he would turn away without answering. Instead, he shot her a look as if she’d lost her mind. “In the barn. The horses needed feeding, watering, tending. You know, the usual?”
A slash of guilt tore through her. She hadn’t thought of the horses once this morning. Thank God for Jase.
“I was worried,” she said.
“The horses are fine.”
Was he purposely misunderstanding her? Or was he giving her an out by pretending that nothing had happened between them to threaten what they’d always been to each other? Or at least what she’d thought they’d always been.
“Jase.” Gina put her hand on his arm, and when he didn’t pull away she continued. “I don’t want to lose you.”
“You won’t lose me.” He patted her hand and smiled his crooked smile. “It’ll all work out.”
Then he walked off, whistling again. Gina stared after him. He really seemed to have moved on, to have put the ugly scene between them earlier behind him. Or was he just that good at pretending? Gina never would have thought so until she’d discovered that he’d been pretending for years.
And what was she upset about? Did she want him to pine for her? Hell no! She should be thrilled that Jase was willing to fake a case of amnesia. She should try it.
Gina glanced toward the house. Teo stared at her, his concern evident. She tried a reassuring smile. But she obviously wasn’t as good at feigning her feelings as Jase, because her
smile caused Teo to frown.
